The Light Master of Super Bowl Halftime

By

Eric Felten

Feb. 1, 2013 9:33 p.m. ET

Two weeks agoAl Gurdon was at a dance studio in Manhattan, having just wrapped days of rehearsing for Beyoncé's Super Bowl halftime show. Mr. Gurdon, the lighting designer for Sunday's show, stood in the midst of stacks of rack-mounted computers, consoles for controlling the machines, and screens on which virtual renderings of the show are displayed (renderings veiled in secrecy the CIA would be hard-pressed to penetrate).

These are the tools of Mr. Gurdon's specialty: the lighting for stadium concert tours and televised...